A Quiet Vendetta [Paperback]

I have quite literally just finished "Quiet Vendetta" and as emotionally drained as I may be, I felt compelled to post my review/comments regarding this book immediately. In brief summary, a Governor's daughter goes missing following the gruesome murder of her bodyguard. An old Cuban by the name of Ernesto Perez turns up claiming responsibility and knowledge of the girl's whereabouts. Perez requests that his story be heard before relinquishing details of the whereabouts of the Governor's daughter.

And so, we fall headlong into Ellory's detailed and rich story, retracing the steps of one man's journey as a hitman for the mob stretching over four decades. Of course the "organised crime" genre has been covered by many, but not quite like this, not as superbly as this. Ellory's prose is so rich in detail, so original in composition and so creative in plotting, not to mention fantastically well researched.

I believe that Ellory has set a new standard with his writing, and it is certainly a tough act to follow for others who wish to write creatively in this genre. In Perez we have one of my favourite characters of any book, movie or play that I have encountered. This is not due to his criminal activity, and homicidal tendencies, certainly not, but due to the depth and richness Ellory has created in Perez, rarely has a character been so real to me.

I have no doubt that this book would make a great movie, and if directed and produced well, Ernesto Perez would become a character as memorable as Michael Corleone, Henry Hill and Tony Montana. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before Ellory is a household name, as he is a bona fide talent, and this is another brilliant book. I highly recommend it

Although I thoroughly enjoyed this novel - its language and scope were certainly addictive - I feel I can't quite bestow upon it the highest praise possible. Of course, what was in the narrative was executed with sublime skill and artistry, I just felt that there was something lacking. This has more to do with the drive of the narrative than with the make-up of plot or characterisation, each of which were flawless in their appeal. I felt that the events in the chapters which took place in the 'here and now' would've benefitted from a sense of impending danger and how these threats were going to addressed by the various law enforcement agencies at play - of course, the kidnap was there but I didn't feel that I cared enough about the outcome.
All in all, though, I would heartily recommend the novel to anyone and I saw enough within it to know that it won't be the last Ellory I read, and that I may well read them all.

I have now read all five in the R J Ellory portfolio (his sixth is due next month) and not for the first time, I kissed this one as I closed the last page. This man, in my opinion, doesn't know how to write a bad or even mediocre novel. I have never given 5 stars to every book by the same author before, and that would include my personal favourites. I guess Ellory will inevitably slip up sooner or later, but until then I must say that all five of his novels published to date are absolutely top-notch pieces of writing and any one of them could be another reader's first preference. As for A QUIET VENDETTA, the third of the five published, I can only say buy it, borrow it or somehow get your hands on it because it is a captivating story that you just won't want to end.

Some feel that Ellory isn't a crime fiction writer, that his work cannot be pigeon-holed into any specific genre, and while I understand that argument, this story is probably the most criminal of them all. It takes a while before the reader can latch onto who the central character is; at first we assume it to be John Verlaine, a Homicide Detective in New Orleans - but it isn't. Then we figure it to be New York based Special Investigator Ray Hartmann - but again, it isn't. In fact it is more than one hundred pages into the story before we finally know who it's really all about: Ernesto Cabrera Perez, and the narrative switches from third-person to first person as the elderly Perez tells Hartmann his life story. And what a life it was.

Perez is a quite extraordinary man, a man of unquestioning loyalty and devotion to his family. But apart from his own family, at least the one he creates as opposed to his forebears, he is very deeply entrenched in a family of a very different kind. Despite his Cuban blood, Perez is a life-long 'troubleshooter' for the Italian Mafia in various cities across America. When there's trouble, he shoots - and he never misses. Yes, he is the absolutely reliable hit-man in a world of organised crime spanning five decades or more, and for once Ellory not only uses politically significant events in 20th-century American history as a time stamp, as a backdrop to the story; this time his key character is directly involved in it. Perez is responsible for one of the most notorious 'hits' in the chronicles of organised crime. Seeing as this particular murder was never solved in reality, there is an acceptable degree of credibility to this supposedly fictitious thread of the overall story. Despite this, it is actually only of minor relevance in itself, because the backbone of the tale is the kidnapping of the daughter of Louisiana Governor Charles Ducane, and Perez promises Hartmann to divulge her whereabouts once he has fully told his life story. Whether she is alive or dead, he cannot say. So begins a massive FBI-administered hunt for the abducted young girl, but she will not be found until Perez tells them where to look.

It would be easy to pick holes in the novel, and I have to confess that it was quite a while before I realised how special it is, so it does require a little patience to get fully into it. Once there, however, once I was really inside the mind and soul of Ernesto Perez, I never wanted it to end. True, it's the kind of story I favour best in being built around the world of the Mafia in their halcyon years, so I have to admit to being easily persuaded but then again it needs to have been written well and that it most certainly has been. But it is special, even among other Ellory novels, and without doubt it is one of the most engrossing books I have read in recent years. I am sorry to have finished it - you can't beat the first time, can you? - but it's one of the very few books in my personal library that I know I will read again. It isn't about the destination, fascinating though that would prove to be, no - it is about the journey, the ruthlessly riveting world that was the life of Ernesto Perez.

Unconditionally recommended.